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Hope Has Four NCAA Track/Field All-Americans

Hope crowned four NCAA All-Americans at the Division III Track & Field Championships held May 24-26 in Oshkosh, Wisc.

Four track and field All-Americans in one season is a new Hope standard.

In the final standings, the Flying Dutch finished 21st (11.5 points) in the field of 67 women's team while the Flying Dutchmen were 42nd (5 points) among 71 men's teams. The women's finish was the best in school history.

Senior Ryan TerLouw of Pella, Ia. finished fourth in the 1,500-meter run to achieve All-America honors for a third consecutive year. The race was won by Will Leer of Pomona-Pitzer, Calif. in 3:53.13. TerLouw was timed in 3:55.77. A senior from Pella, Iowa (Pella HS), TerLouw is the first Hope male athlete to gain All-America honors three times in the same event. He finished 7th as a sophomore and was 5th a year ago. Hope athletes have excelled at nationals in the 1,500. In addition to TerLouw's trifecta, Jeff Weber was seventh in 2004 (3:53.10) and Rick Bruggers was eighth in 1968 (3:56.2)

Senior Jennifer VanderMeer of Holland, Mich. (Holland HS) became the first Hope athlete to be an NCAA Track & Field All-American four consecutive years as she finished fifth in the pole vault. And for the fourth consecutive year her height was 12 feet, 2 1/2 inches. The event was won by Meghan Voiland of Augustana, Ill. who cleared 12 feet, 10 1/4 inches. VanderMeer placed second as both a freshman and sophomore and was sixth a year ago.

Junior Lindsay Lange of Manistee, Mich. (Manistee HS) finished fourth in the rigorous seven-event heptathlon to achieve All-America honors in the event for the second year in-a-row. Leading the 18 competitors was Christian Acquaviva of SUNY-Cortland with 5,189 points. Lange finished with a school-record 4,930 points. A year ago Lange was third at nationals with 4,790 points. Lange's performances were: 100 meter hurdles, 2nd place (:14.29); high jump, 11th place (5-0 1/4); shotput, 3rd place, (39-11 1/2); 200 meter dash, 2nd place (:25.06); long jump, 15th place (15-9 3/4); javelin, 13th place (101-11) and 800 meter run, 5th place (2:23.72). Lange has now scored at nationals for three straight years. As a freshman she finished seventh in the 400-meter dash. Lange also competed in the 100-meter hurdle event, but did not advance to Saturday's finals.

Sophomore Christina Lis of Novi, Mich. (Novi HS) achieved All-America honors by tying for sixth place in the high jump. Appearing at nationals for the first time, Lis cleared 5 feet, 4 1/2 inches. Seeded 10th in the field, Lis did not miss an attempt until her final height. The event was won by Jillian Crandall of UW-River Falls at 5 feet, 7 inches.

All four athletes have been named All-Americans by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).